It can be difficult to determine how useful a real estate website really is. This is because there are a variety of different reasons that you may need this type of website. In order to determine what characteristics most useful real estate websites have, it is important to determine what separates the most popular websites from the rest. Here is a quick look at the most popular real estate websites and what they offer.

1. Realtor.com. Realtor.com is easily the most popular real estate website currently online. It is not only the official site of the National Association of Realtors, but also has a large market share than any two sites combined. The first thing that they do is cater to both Realtors and the average home buyer/home seller They provide a variety of resources to give you all of the information that you might need. They even have a home valuation calculator that takes into consideration what type of home you have and where it is located. It does this by drawing on the recent data of comparable homes in comparable areas. They also have tools that go outside of just buying and selling a home. They also have an entire section devoted to the process of moving as well as a huge section dedicated to home and garden tips and tricks. As you can see, what really makes this site stand out is that it caters to everyones needs, not just a specific segment such as Realtors and attorneys.

2. RealtyTrac.com. RealtyTrac.com is another one of the most popular websites online. As with Realtor.com they offer a variety of tools and resources to the general public and Realtors alike. One of the unique features that makes this website so popular is that you can register an account which can act as a central location for all of the information that you have found. This can includes stats and trends, potential Realtors, and much more. They also have a very detailed learning center that covers a variety of topics. Some are commercial products, however there are also a large number of free articles and blogs available to answer your questions.

3. HomeGain.com. HomeGain.com is another very popular real estate website. It has a number of great resources for the average home buyer and Realtor alike. They have a tool that allows you to search for and compare Realtors in your area. You can find out the current market value of your home or prices of homes that you are interested in, you can even browse a giant listing of available homes. They also have dedicated sections to topics such as: agent profiles, real estate blogs, home seller tools, home buyer tools, and mortgage rates.

As you can see, there are several characteristics that all three of these websites have. The first is that they cater to everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are a professional Realtor, first time home buyer, or you are trying to sell your home, they have tools and resources dedicated to your needs. Second, they all allow you complete a variety of tasks online instead of having to do tedious research manually, such as projected home valuations. Finally, they all have a similar layout that allow you to go to a section that is dedicated to your specific situation.

See real estate prices in your neighborhood. Zillow allows you to see recent home sale prices overlaid on a Google map.